Cigarette-machine



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' J. A. BONSACK.

CIGARETTE MACHINE.

No. 572,152. Patented Deo. 1, 1896.

m: comms PE1-:Rs en. Marwua, wnsumcmu. o. c.

(No Model.; 4 sheetssheet 3. J. A. BONSACK.

GIGARETTEVMAGHINE.

Patented Deo. l, 1896.

HRM

A [iwf/tar Paare-umu., WASHINGTON. D c.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.) Y

J. A. BONSAGK.

CIGARETTE MACHINE.

N0. 572,152. Patented Dec. 1, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. BONSACK, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BONSACK MACHINE COMPANY, OF SALEM, VIRGINIA.

CIGARETTE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,152, dated'December 1, 1896.

Application iled April 4, 1892. Renewed December 9, 1893. Serial No. 493,451. (No model.) Patented in England April 8,

1892, No. 6,734; in Germany April 15, 1892, No. 74,352, and in Spain February 2l, 1893, No. 13,305.

To @ZZ whom ib may concern: formed wrapper; and it consistsalso of awrap- Be itknownthatLJ AMES A.BONsACK,a citiper-forming guide or guides located around zen of the United States, residing at Philadeland slightly separated from the tobacco-tube, phia, in the county of Philadelphia and State sucha guide device being preferably an outer 5 of Pennsylvania, have inventeda certain new helicoidal forming-tube conforming to the 55 and useful Improvement in Cigarette-Maller-tube and adapted to cause the Wrapper, chines, (for which Letters Patent for Great as it is fed forward, to be tubularly shaped Britain, No. 6,734, dated April 8, 1892, for Geraround the filler-tube` as a mandrel and With many, No. 74,352, dated April 15, 1892, and for the edges of the wrapper joined or lapping Lo Spain, No. 13,305, dated February 2l, 1893, one upon the other. 6o

have been granted,) of which the following is It is also the object of the invention to efa specification, reference being had to the fect the sealing of the joined edges of the drawings accompanying and forming a part wrapper by a crimping mechanism adapted of the same. to act upon the wrapper-tube seam inde- 15 The present invention relates generally to pendently of the forward feed of the Wrapper. 65 machines for forming continuous cigarettes; That is, heretofore it has been proposed to and it relates particularly to that class of macrimp the edges of a wrapper-tube simultachines in which a continuous wrapper-tube neously with the forward feed of the same, of paper is first formed and its seam finally the crimping device or devices acting conzo closed by crimping and the tube charged with jointly and in time with the feeding devices. 7othe tobacco filler. Thus the crimping mechanism is dependent One purpose of the invention is to produce upon the feeding devices and is not operateda wrapper-forming device by which a ribbon except with or because of the operation of of wrapper-paper can be tubularly formed to such devices. I propose to employ a crimp- 2 5 encircle the tobacco filler and its edges joined ing mechanism Which can be operated inde- 7 5 without the wrapper coming in contact with pendently of and without aifecting or being the filler, the filler being delivered into the adected by the feeding action. Thus isolatwrapper-tube only after the tube has been ing the crimping mechanism permits it being properly brought to tubular form. It is deoperated with special reference to its kind of 3o sirable to thus keep the filler from the wrap- Work. Preferably I employ a crimping de- 8o per for the reason that if the filler be in convice that has motion alongy the wrapper-tube tact with the portion of the Wrapper being seam and that acts on the same intermitformed it will, because of its irregularity of tently, alternating in interval of action with density and therefore of form, tend to disthe devices that feed the cigarette forward,

35 place the wrapper and especially to cause the and accordingly the wrapper forming and 85 joined or joining edges thereof to get out of feeding action is suspended or partially susthe desired relative position. When such pended while the seam-crimping action is efdisplacement occurs, the result is an imperfected. The Wrapper being stationary While fect or unsealed seam, and also the feed of the the crimper operates, there is no motion of seam -to the crimping devices may be laterthe seam parts against the crimping device, 9o

ally irregular, in which case the thin body of and thus injury to the wrapper is obviated,

the wrapper-tube ln'ay take the action of the and,further,the crimping action maybe modicrimping devices in part and so become ruped or regulated to insure proper crimping tured or weakened. I employ, therefore, a without affecting or being affected by the 45 forming device which in general shape is like feeding action.

thecommon helicoidal wrapper-formels, but In the drawings accompanying this descripwhich especially consists, particularly along tion, Figure l is an elevation view of one form its forward or tubular end, of an inner closed of machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 tube adapted to hold or contain the tobacco is an enlarged detail view showing in eleva- 5o filler and conduct the same to within the tion and partial vertical sect-ion, along the roo plane a d of Fig. 4, the seam-sealing mechanism and adjacent parts. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view showing in plan the essential parts of the seam-sealing devices, portions of the supporting and operating parts of the same being in horizontal section on plane b b of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an end-elevation view of the machine as seen from the right-hand end of Figs. 1 and 3. Fig. Gis an enlarged detail View, looking toward the left-hand or front end of the machine, of the parts of the machine cut by the vertical plane c c of Figs.,l, 3, and 4. Figs. 7 to l5 are `enlarged detail views showingcross-sections of the wrapper or cigarette tube former on the respective planes d Z of Figs. 2, 4, 16, and 17, as hereinafter will be more fully referred to and eX- plained. Figs. 16 and 17 are respectively a vertical longitudinal section and a plan of the tube-former, showing the iiller in place upon it.

In the views, l represents the base of the machine, which may be of any suitable form and on which are properly supported the various pillars, brackets, or arms that carry the working parts of the machine.

2 represents a curved wrapper former, through which the strip or ribbon of paper-is fed and during its forward movement is brought to tubular form with its opposite edges joined or in lapping contact, the mandrel part of this former being the tube which serves to deliver the tobacco into the sealed wrapper-tube.

3 represents a continuous belt which is adapted to hold the completed and continuous cigarette and draw it forward, thus effecting the feed of the wrapper-ribbon through the former and assisting the feed of the tobacco through the former mandrel or iiller tube into the wrapper-tube.

4 indicates a presser-wheel by which the joined edges of the paper ribbon are during the forward feed of the ribbon flattened down upon the paper tube previous to being finally sealed by-crimping.

5 is a crimping-wheel that is intermittently brought to contact with the joined edges of the wrapper-tube and is driven along the same for a short distance to crimp together such edges, and thereby finally seal them, between succeeding steps of the feed of the wrapper-ribbon or whilev the wrapper is stationary, or practically so.

Referring in detail to these parts and their actuating mechanism, the wrapper-former 2, which at its rear or left-hand end and at about the middle of itslength is supported on the uprights G, consists, substantially, of a fiat shallow tubular guide adapted to loosely inclose the wrapper-ribbon when in flat form. (See Fig. 7, which shows a section of this end of the former and of the contained wrapper.) From the rear end of the former to the plane f, Figs. 4, 8, 9, and l0, the edges 7 of the former gradually converge spirally, thus producing two concentric tubes joined together by the edge parts 7 of the flat rear end of the former. At or about the position of the plane fthe edges 7 are cut away, as seen at S, Figs. 4 and 19, and the inner or mandrel tube 9 is completed circularly, while the outer or forming tube 10 vis slotted along its central upper part to its forward end. These concentric tubes are slightly coned from plane g to about plane h, and the edges of the slot 8 in the outer tube correspondingly converge till at plane h their separation is about the same or slightly more than that of the thickness of the two edges of the wrapper-paper. From plane h the' tubes preferably are cylindrical to their forward ends, and from end to end the two parts of the former are held separated by a practically uniform wrapperspace. On the outer tube and at one edge of the slot 8 is mounted an edge-former, which consists of a slender sheet-metal snail or convolute l1, conically shaped from plane t' to plane j, and is arranged so that its longitudinal opening or throat corresponds in position to the slot 8.' Beyond plane j and to the end of the former the slot 8 is of a width about the same as that of the seam of the paper tube to permit the presser-wheel Ltand the crimping-wheel 5 to bear upon the wrapper-seam parts.

The paper ribbon or wrapper 1.2 is fed in at the rear end of and through the former, and as it is drawn forward it is gradually brought into tubular form and its edges brought together until when they begin to emerge at the rear end of slot 8 they meet, as seen in IOO Fig. 10. The further movement of the wrapper along the conical portion of the former, from g to i, contracts the wrapper-tube and projects the edges thereof out of the slot S, as seen in Fig. 11. These projecting edges now enter the snail 1l and are coiled or curled one within the other, in form like the inner end of the snail, Fig. 18, and as the coil emerges from the snail it passes iirst under the wheel 4, which flattens it down upon the inner tube 9, and then it passes under'wheel 5, which crimps it againt the inner tube and thereby iinally seals or fixes it, the feeding and seam-sealing actions being performed intermittently and alternately.

The mandrel or filler tube 9, particularly at its front end, is made as thin as proper strength and rigidity will permit, and the surface of its bore is to be as smooth and regular as practicable, so as to oifer but little resistance to the passage of the tobacco filler. The filler is fed upon the rear end of the formerthat is, upon the opened-out rearward continuation of the mandrel-tube-and ismoved forward through the mandrel into the wrapper-tube in any suitable way. Preferably, however, the filler is first compacted intothe form of a continuous rod of proper size, and such a tobacco rod is fed into and through the mandrel to within the sealed wrapper tube, which, being fed by other devices and IIO having a clinging contact with the expanded tobacco rod, also helps to feed the latter through the mandrel. The mechanism for continuously producing such tobacco rod and feeding it into the tobacco-conduit of the former is no essential part of this machine and is not therefore described in full.

The forward end of the former-tube 10 is cut away from below to conform to the edges of the periphery of the grooved side wheel 12, while the mandrel or tobacco tube continues in plain tubular form to its forward end,these tubes ending, preferably, at or about the position of the guide-wheel, the groove in the periphery of which is slightly larger, by the thickness of the wrapper, than the exterior of the tobacco-tube. The tobacco-tube is notched or serrated at 13 for a short distance along its forward end and just under the slotS in the-former-tube, Figs. 2 and 4. These serrations constitute a fine rack and are of size and space to conform to and mesh with similar serrations on the periphery of the crimping-wheel 5, which wheel has a motion rearwardly in meshing contact with said rack, (except for the wrapper between,) then rises therefrom and returns -to the forward end of the tube; Thus it will be seen the seam is crimped down upon the body of the wrapper by the coperation of the rack and crimpingwheel, and this while the cigarette is stationary. At the same time the guide-roll 12 resists any downward tendency of the tobaccotube under the pressure of the crimpingwheel. This guide-wheel being in contact with the sealed wrapper-tube, it serves to assist as a feeding device to draw the wrapper through the former, it being driven coincidently with the feeding-belt 3.

The feeding-belt 3 is of any suitable flexible material. It passes through the tubular guide 14 14 in line with the axis of the tobacco-tube, in which guides it is tubularly shaped to a size about the same as the cigarette, and is thereby adapted to inclose the cigarette, which extends from the forming and crimping devices to and Within the contracted portion of the belt, and feed or advance the same forward. This belt passes continuously over drum 15 on shaft 16, up over the idle-pulley 18, and through the guides 14.

On the end of shaft 16 is carried a beveled gear-wheel 19, which meshes with the pinion of shaft 20, which is mounted in journals on the side of the machine and gears with the shaft 21, which carries the guide-wheel 12. On shaft 21 is the gear 22, which meshes with the driving-pinion 23 on the axis of the presserwheel 4. Thus the presser-wheel is caused to rotate intermittently conformably with the movement of the forward feed of the cigarette and the forming-Wrapper.

24 is the main driving wheel or pulley. Its shaft 25 carries the eccentric 2,6, the pitman 27 of which is pivotally attached to the upper end of rock-arm 28, whichin turn is pivotally carried on shaft 16. On this arm is hung the pawl 29 which engages .the teeth of the wheel 30, flxedlycarried on theshaft 16. By these means it will be seen that for one half -revolutionof the main driving-wheel shaft 16 is partially rotated, thus eectin g the forward feed of the cigarette and the forming-wrapper, while during the other half-rotation of the driving-wheel shaft 16 and the feeding devices are stationary and pawl 29 is carried over one or more teeth ofthe wheel` 30, preparatory to rengaging the same for another operation of the feeding devices.

The crimping-wheel 5 is fxedly mounted on the inner end of the rotating shaft 31, pivotally carried on the slide 32, which slide reciprocates in ways 33, these ways being carried on a rocking plate 34, which is supported at its rear end by pivot 3,5 on the upright 36, secured to the bed of the machine. A plungerrod 37, also mounted at its rear end on pivot 35, enters at its forward end a hole in the rear end of the slide 32, a spring 38 being interposed between the slide and the plunger and acting to tend to push the slide forward. On the back of the lower way 33 is mounted a rack 39, which is in mesh with the pinion 40, fixed to the outer end ofthe crimp-Wheel shaft 31, and serves to cause the cri mp-Wheel to be positively driven, and also to be brought to proper meshing relation with the crimping-rack on the tobacco-tube. The rack 39, while preferably employed to insure the positive action of the crimp-Wheel, is not, however, essential. Attached to the upper Way of the slide 32 is an arm 41, carrying a friction-roller 42, that rides on a cam 43, mounted on the main shaft 25. The peripheral form of this cam, as seen in Fig. 2, consists of two ICO semicircular parts of dierent diameters,

whereby the revolution of the cam causes the forward end of the way-plate 34 and its carried parts to rise and be held at one position vertically during the half-revolution of the main shaft, and then to drop and remain at a lower position during the .second half of the sh afts revolution, a spring 44, attached to the lower way, serving to depress the Wayplate and thereby hold the crimp-Wheel to working contact.

bears against the peripheral face of the eccentric wheel 46, also carried on and rotated by the main shaft 25, and this cam acts to reciprocate the slide backward and forward in its ways.

The positions on the main shaft of the eccentric 26, cam 43, and eccentric-wheel 46 are such that during that half-revolution of the shaft when the feeding mechanism is stationary, Fig. 2, the way-plate is lowered and the slidevmoved to the limit of its backward movement. This brings thercrimping-wheel to contact with the turned-down edges of the seam, and as the slide is moved backward the crimping-wheel is passed along the seam of the formed wrapper and thereby'nally seals the folds of the same together and down At the forward end of the slide 32 is mounted a friction-roller 45, which.

IIO

flat upon the body of the wrapper. Then the crimping-wheel has reached the end of its backward movement, the way-plate is raised, so that the crimping-wheel leaves the wrapper and returns to its forward position preparatory to being again depressed to contact with another portion of the wrapperseam. As the crimp-wheel thus returns it is rotated backwardly by its guide-rack, and thus brought to be, when at its forward point, in position to mesh with the crimping-serrations upon the tobacco-tube when next it is depressed to act on the wrapper-seam parts. Duringthis return of the crimp-wheel the forward feed of the cigarette and formingr wrapper is effected, so that a new portion of seam is presented ready forthe immediate repetition of the crimping action.

I do not deem it essential that the tobaccotube be serrated so as to cooperate with the the support or mandrel round which it isv formed.

I vhave shown in the drawings the general character and configuration of the curved former which I prefer to use, but it will be understood that the length of the former can be varied without in any way departing from my invention.

I am aware that it has been proposed to employ the following combinations of devices in the construction of cigarette-ma` chines, and I therefore disclaim the same, when broadly considered, from my invention, as described and claimed herein, viz: the combination, with feeding devices for advancing a continuous cigarette-wrapper and filler therein with the edges of the wrapper engaged, of an interior support located within the wrapper, and devices coacting therewith to press down and` secure the edges of the wrapper also, the combination of the devices last named with devices for folding the wrapper with its edges rolled or folded together over the filler and a support located within the wrapper also, the combination,with feeding devices for advancing a continuous cigarette-wrapperand filler therein with the edges of the wrapper engaged, of a support located within the wrapper and forming one member of crimping, indenting, or perforatingdevices, and a member outside the wrapper coacting therewith to secure the wrapper edges; also, the combination of the devices last named with devices for folding the wrapper with its moving through said mechanism and join or bring the opposite edges of said wrapper into lapping contact; a feeding mechanism adapted to feed the wrapper forward through the tube-forming mechanism 5 a crimping mechanism adapted to operate independently of the action of the feeding mechanism to crimp the joined edges of the wrapper and seal the same; and mechanism acting to bring the crimping mechanism into and retract it from contact with the paper.

2. In a cigarette-machine, the combination of the following instrumen talities; a wrapperforming mechanism adapted to tubularly shape a continuous ribbon of wrapper-paper moving through it and around a tobacco filler also moving through said mechanism and join the opposite edges of said wrapper; and intermittently-operating seam-crimping mechanism adapted to act upon the joined edges of the wrapper to close and seal the same to`` gether; a feeding mechanism adapted to intermittently feed the wrapper-tube through `the tube-forming mechanism; and mechanism acting to bring the crimping mechanism into and retract it from contact with the paper.

3. In a cigarette-machine, the combination of a wrapper-forming mechanism, adapted to tubularly shape a ribbonY of wrapper-paper around a tobacco filler moving throughy said mechanism and join the edges of said wrapper; a seam-crimping mechanism acting intermittently to close together the engaged edges of the formed wrapper and seal the same; and a feeding mechanism acting i-ntermittently and alternately with the said seamsealing mechanism and adapted tofeed the wrapper through the machine.

4. In a cigarette-machine, the combination of a wrapper-form-ing mechanism adapted to` tubularly shape a continuous wrapper and join its opposite edgesya seam-crimping mechanism adapted to act to close together the edges of the wrapper and seal the same; a feeding mechanism adapted to feed the wrapper-tube through the Wrapper-forming mechanism; and a filler-feeding channel or tube located within the wrapperl and constructed and arranged to confine the filler from the nnsealed wrapper and to deliver the tobacco into the wrapper-tube at or near the seam-sealing devices.

5. In combination in a cigarette-machine, a wrapper-former acting to tubularly shape the wrapper and join its opposite edges; a seam-sealing mechanism acting intermit- IIO tently to seal the edges of the wrapper; a.

filler-feeding tube located Within the formed Wrapper and adapted to deliver the tobacco into the wrapper-tube and also adapted to support the Wrapper edges against the action of the exterior seam-sealing mechanism; and a feeding mechanism acting to feed the Wrapper and filler through the machine.

6. In a cigarette-machine, the combination of a wrapper-forming guide adapted to tubularly shape a continuous wrapper around a tobacco filler moving through said mechanism and bring the edges of said Wrapper'to contact; a seam-sealing mechanism adapted to act intermittently to seal together the engaged edges of the Wrapper; a feeding mechanism adapted to draw the Wrapper through the Wrapper-forming guide g and driving mechanism adapted to intermittently and alternately operate said sealing and feeding mechanism.

7. In a cigarette-machine an interior support, mechanism for intermittently feeding a tubularly-formed Wrapper-ribbon along and over said support and around a tobacco ller moving through said mechanism, a crimping device located exteriorly to the Wrapper-tube and adapted to act intermittently on the joined edges of the Wrapper and against the interior support, the feeding mechanism and crimping mechanism acting alternately, and so that a substantiallyT continuous line of crimping is formed along the tube by successive actions of the crimper.

S. In a cigarette-machine an interior support having a serrated anvil action, mechanism for intermittently feeding a tubularlyformed Wrapper-ribbon along and over said support and around a tobacco filler moving through said mechanism, a crimping device located exteriorly to the Wrapper-tube and adapted to act intermittently on the joined edges of the Wrapper and against the serrated portion ofthe interior support, the feeding mechanism and crimping mechanism acting alternately, and so that a substantially continuous line of crimping is formed along the tube by successive actions of the crimper.

9. In a cigarette-machine mechanism for tubularly forming a ribbon of Wrapper-paper and joining or bringing its edges together, the combination of a tube adapted to serve as a conduit or channel for the tobacco filler and coniine the same until delivered in the Wrapper-tube, and also adapted to act as amandrel upon which the Wrapper is tubularly formed, and an outer tube inclosing the said iillertube, such outer tube having a longitudinal slot adapted to guide the edges of the Wrapper and being also adapted to receive the Wrapper-ribbon and form it on the inner tube.

lO. In a cigarette-machine mechanism for cylindrically forming a Wrapper-ribbon and bringing its edges into engagement, a tubular mandrel adapted to serve as a filler-tube or tobacco-conduit, a Wrapperfforming tube surrounding the filler-conduit and slotted to permit the passage of the edges of the Wrapper, and an edge-former adapted to receive the edges of the formed Wrapper and bend them to engagement one Within the other.

JAMES A..BONSACK. Vitnesses RoBT. F. GAYLORD, ERNEST I-IoPKINsoN. 

